Our Most Anticipated Books of June 2021

Fiction

Coming June 1st

The Membranes by Chi Ta-Wei, trans. by Ari Larissa Heinrich

First published in Taiwan in 1995, The Membranes is a classic of queer speculative fiction in Chinese. Chi Ta-wei weaves dystopian tropes--heirloom animals, radiation-proof combat drones, sinister surveillance technologies--into a sensitive portrait of one young woman's quest for self-understanding. 

Future Feeling by Joss Lake

An embittered dog walker obsessed with a social media influencer inadvertently puts a curse on a young man--and must adventure into mysterious dimension in order to save him--in this wildly inventive, delightfully subversive, genre-nonconforming debut novel about illusion, magic, technology, kinship, and the emergent future.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White & Royal Blue, is back at it with another irresistible love story filled with humor and heart. Perfect for enjoying a long, cool subway ride or soaking up the sun in the park.

Double Blind by Edward St Aubyn

"If, as Henry James said, the first duty of the novelist is to be interesting, he would be happy in St. Aubyn's company. Double Blind is emotionally cogent and intellectually fascinating. There are reflections and conversations here which adroitly evoke those important intersections where science and our urgent contemporary concerns meet. I was gripped by it." --Ian McEwan

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

A whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.

Long Division by Kiese Laymon

The fiction debut of celebrated essayist, Kiese Laymon, Long Division is a classic in the making. Reminiscent of The History of Love, skirting the line between magical realism and the viscerally real, this is a book that sticks with you from first to last.

Coming June 8th

Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen

During the 30 Years War, in the small town of Weil der Stadt, roughly three women were tortured and killed as witches every year between 1615 and 1629. And Katharina 
Kepler was a cantankerous old woman. This is her story. The highly-anticipated second novel from Rivka Galchen, whose first, Atmospheric Disturbances, was my first ever staff pick!

Animal by Lisa Taddeo

Joan has spent a lifetime enduring the cruelties of men. But when one of them commits a shocking act of violence in front of her, she flees New York City in search of Alice, the only person alive who can help her make sense of her past. In the sweltering hills above Los Angeles, Joan unravels the horrific event she witnessed as a child--that has haunted her every waking moment--while forging the power to finally strike back.

Coming June 15th

Morningside Heights by Joshua Henkin

Morningside Heights is a sweeping and compassionate novel about a marriage surviving hardship. It's about the love between women and men, and children and parents; about the things we give up in the face of adversity; and about how to survive when life turns out differently from what we thought we signed up for.

Lucia by Alex Pheby

"Madness, toy soldiers and tapeworms. Alex Pheby is not only a whizz at finding the tortured connections that underpin the Twentieth Century, its wars and its art, but his compassion for Lucia Joyce has an extraordinary effect: it speaks up for girls and women everywhere. Bravo."--Lucy Ellmann, author of Ducks, Newburyport

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

An ancient Greek professor who might or might not be a murder. A brilliant, but troubled therapist. A secret society known only as The Maidens. Is it getting a little #darkacademia in here, or is it just me?

The Great Mistake by Jonathan Lee

"Jonathan Lee's wily, virtuosic, very beautiful new novel is an intimate portrait of a public man that also serves as an X-ray of America. The Great Mistake is a great novel of New York, in which the shaping of public space becomes inextricable from the loneliness, longing, and ferocious ambition of a single, damaged man." --Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You

 

Coming May 22nd

Who They Was by Gabriel Krauze

Longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2020 and finally coming to the US this June. Who They Was is an autobiographical novel about a young man with one foot in London gangland and the other in prestigious academia.


Non-Fiction

Coming June 1st

B-Side Books: Essays on Forgotten Favorites edited by John Plotz

Leading writers, critics, and scholars show why their favorite forgotten books deserve a new audience. In these thoughtful, often personal essays, contributors--including Caleb Crain, Merve Emre, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Namwali Serpell--read books by writers such as Helen DeWitt, Shirley Jackson, Stanislaw Lem, Paule Marshall, and Charles Portis.

Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

Ashley Ford, podcaster and BuzzFeed host, shares her story in what is already being hail as the best memoir of 2021.

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts
by Rebecca Hall, illustrated by Hugo Martinez

Part graphic novel, part memoir, Wake is an imaginative tour-de-force that tells the story of women-led slave revolts and chronicles scholar Rebecca Hall's efforts to uncover the truth about these women warriors who, until now, have been left out of the historical record.

Coming June 8th

To Write as if Already Dead by Kate Zambreno

To Write as if Already Dead circles around Kate Zambreno's failed attempts to write a study of Hervé Guibert's To the Friend Who Did Not Save My Life. Zambreno, who has been pushing the boundaries of literary form for a decade, investigates Guibert's methods by adopting them, offering a keen sense of the energy and confessional force of his work.

Coming June 15th

Foucault in Warsaw by Remigiusz Ryzinski

The previously untold story of the plot to kick Michel Foucault out of Poland in the 1950s and a vibrant, engaging picture of gay life in Poland under communism--from the joys found in secret nightclubs, to the fears of not knowing who was a secret informant.

The Natural Mother of the Child: A Memoir of Nonbinary Parenthood
by Kris Malcolm Belc

Krys Malcolm Belc has thought a lot about the interplay between parenthood and gender. As a nonbinary, transmasculine parent, giving birth to his son Samson clarified his gender identity. And yet, when his partner, Anna, adopted Samson, the legal documents listed Belc as "the natural mother of the child."

NB: Some of the text on this page is sourced from publisher-provided marketing content.

Staff Pick Badge
The Membranes (Modern Chinese Literature from Taiwan) By Ari Larissa Heinrich (Translator), Ta-Wei Chi Cover Image
By Ari Larissa Heinrich (Translator), Ta-Wei Chi
$17.00
ISBN: 9780231195713
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: Columbia University Press - June 1st, 2021

Future Feeling: A Novel By Joss Lake Cover Image
$16.95
Not Available
ISBN: 9781593766887
Published: Soft Skull - June 1st, 2021

One Last Stop By Casey McQuiston Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781250244499
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: St. Martin's Griffin - June 1st, 2021

Double Blind: A Novel By Edward St. Aubyn Cover Image
$27.00
Not Available
ISBN: 9780374282196
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - June 1st, 2021

The Other Black Girl: A Novel By Zakiya Dalila Harris Cover Image
$27.00
ISBN: 9781982160135
Availability: Not In Stock - Usually ships in 3-5 Days
Published: Atria Books - June 1st, 2021

Long Division: A Novel By Kiese Laymon Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781982174828
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: Scribner - June 1st, 2021

Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch: A Novel By Rivka Galchen Cover Image
$27.00
Not Available
ISBN: 9780374280468
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - June 8th, 2021

Animal: A Novel By Lisa Taddeo Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781982122126
Availability: Not In Stock - Usually ships in 3-5 Days
Published: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster - June 8th, 2021

Morningside Heights: A Novel By Joshua Henkin Cover Image
$26.95
Not Available
ISBN: 9781524748357
Published: Pantheon - June 15th, 2021

Lucia By Alex Pheby Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9781771964234
Availability: Not In Stock - Usually ships in 3-5 Days
Published: Biblioasis - June 15th, 2021

The Maidens: A Novel By Alex Michaelides Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781250304452
Availability: Not In Stock - Usually ships in 3-5 Days
Published: Celadon Books - June 15th, 2021

The Great Mistake: A novel By Jonathan Lee Cover Image
$26.95
Not Available
ISBN: 9780525658498
Published: Knopf - June 15th, 2021

B-Side Books: Essays on Forgotten Favorites By John Plotz (Editor) Cover Image
By John Plotz (Editor)
$32.50
ISBN: 9780231200578
Availability: Not In Stock - Usually ships in 3-5 Days
Published: Columbia University Press - June 1st, 2021

Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir By Ashley C. Ford Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781250305978
Availability: Not In Stock - Usually ships in 3-5 Days
Published: Flatiron Books: An Oprah Book - June 1st, 2021

Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts By Rebecca Hall, Hugo MartĂ­nez (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Rebecca Hall, Hugo MartĂ­nez (Illustrator)
$29.99
Not Available
ISBN: 9781982115180
Published: Simon & Schuster - June 1st, 2021

To Write as If Already Dead By Kate Zambreno Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780231188456
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: Columbia University Press - June 8th, 2021

Foucault in Warsaw By Remigiusz Ryzinski, Sean Gasper Bye (Translator) Cover Image
$15.95
ISBN: 9781948830362
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: Open Letter - June 29th, 2021

The Natural Mother of the Child: A Memoir of Nonbinary Parenthood By Krys Malcolm Belc Cover Image
$26.00
ISBN: 9781640094383
Availability: Not In Stock - Usually ships in 3-5 Days
Published: Counterpoint - June 15th, 2021

Who They Was By Gabriel Krauze Cover Image
$26.00
Not Available
ISBN: 9781635577662
Published: Bloomsbury Publishing - June 29th, 2021